Dog getting sick of Dog Boarders?

One of my dogs definitely gets exhausted after a lot of boarders or after longer stays. It wears on her to have dogs in her space so frequently, even when she likes them, and it lowers her threshold for her to react negatively to other dogs. When she tells me she needs a break, we take a break. I make sure she gets a say in how often we host dogs because it's her home, too, and it's not worth it to me to continue boarding if it makes one or both of my dogs unhappy.

When a dog (or person) experiences something they find stressful, their body releases cortisol, which is part of the system which regulates the fight or flight response. Even good stress will contribute, like having a long day running and playing with friends. The effects of stressors are cumulative--cortisol takes 24-48 hours to leave the system once the stressor ends, so if your dog finds meet and greets and sharing her space with other dogs stressful, cortisol levels keep stacking up with all the little stressful events, and then her body takes days to return to normal after life returns to normal. This means she will be more and more on edge the more stress she has to experience, and as I'm sure you know from your own experience, the more stress you've already faced, the harder it becomes to cope with additional triggers. Eventually, the smallest thing, something that normally wouldn't bother you, becomes a Really Big Deal. In human terms, you might snap at a friend for making an innocuous comment when you've had a couple bad days at work. Your dog is just the same.

Giving your dog quiet time while other dogs are around, teaching her some relaxation techniques, and taking a few days off from sitting or holding meet and greets when she's telling you she needs a rest will help your dog cope and prevent her from developing bad habits when interacting with other dogs. Also be sure to reward good behaviors when she's greeting and interacting with other dogs to reinforce those pathways and make good interactions her preferred choice. You want her to have positive associations with good behaviors so it's easier for her to choose those behaviors when her fuse is shorter. It's also worth noting that it's really common for dogs to become less social and less tolerant of new dogs (especially if they display any rude behavior) as they age. It's still a good idea to reinforce good manners, but it's totally normal if she seems increasingly less interested in interacting with new dogs as she gets older.

Hi Sarah,

Charlotte is telling you that she has been ignored. My dog Jack knows just what she is feeling. Make sure you feed her first. After separating the dogs, I prepare all the dogs food and give Jack his food First. Make her feel "special" and praise when you give it to her. He gets a treat "First" and I make sure he "also" gets my individual attention, especially if he is laying on his bed looking sad. He gets along great with all my dog guests but I can tell when he starts to get frustrated. I usually have dog guests in my home (repeats/revolving door) months straight. I just recently had a 3 day break which is very, very rare. I took Jack to a special park on walks that I can't take the visiting pups. He got a special treat like a hoof filled with cheese and a Lot of special attention. Then later when my hubby was home I ran errands an brought him home "a new toy". When the dogs started arriving again, he was ready to play and share his toys.

Just remember to keep Charlotte "first" in line and let her know she is "your special doggie!"

My dog occasionally gets Rover burnout and I take the time to spend more quality time with her when I notice she's "off" mood-wise. I tend to have back-to-back stays, so if I am watching a client and I notice her mood, I'll take her on a hike or a run just with only her and play and praise her along the way for bonding time. I'll limit the guest dog from using our bed (or sometimes bedroom) so that can be our dog's area to get exclusive attention from us. My dog is a bit large to run errands with, but I'll also take her on outdoor errands or to dog-friendly friends' houses so she feels included where possible.

At some point, she started getting weird for the meet and greets. I'm not sure if she started to feel she had to be more protective/possessive over the home space but she stopped engaging in the friendly butt-sniff introduction and would stay by us. We adapted the routine to keep her on a leash and let the new dog roam freely to get acquainted with the house and after a few minutes we let our dog off leash and they get on just fine. If I have concerns the meet and greet may not go smoothly, I meet outside the house on the grass, leashes on, and walk on the sidewalk with the new client for a minute before walking the dogs inside together. That works like a charm as neither dog feels possessive over space or objects this way.

My dog is not aggressive, but here are some things I do to avoid problems. Before the meet & greet, I tell my dog who we're going to meet as a friend and a little bit about age, breed, gender, and if he likes them, we'll see more of them and he'll have a new friend. I always do a meet & greet. When it's absolutely not possible due to distance travel, after I've exchanged a lot of info., including second options in case the dogs can't get along. During the meet & greet, easily about 10-20 minutes is spent just carefully observing how my dog interacts with the visiting dog outside. Then, we go inside, where I note details, but also more importantly watch the dogs interact and determine do they seem like fast friends, friendly but respectful of each other's space, or just trying to avoid each other and wait it out. If it's the last, where the dogs aren't happy, I'll discuss the potential clients continuing to look for the best match. Sometimes this is revealed over time, which may take 10-20 minutes. I want all the dogs we care for happy and that includes listening to and respecting the wishes of my own dog.

Any dog snatching food from another's bowl would likely be cause for a ruckus, so one tip Rover gives is to feed separately. If you have dogs that like to graze, you can pick up the bowl as they start to leave it and just offer to put it down more times during the day. Since I care for a very small number of dogs at a time, and they eat better together with me observing than separately, I prepare all the bowls, and then space out where they're fed, stand/kneel/crouch nearby them the entire time as I observe and reinforce/remind each stick to their own bowl with gentle bowl taps& using name.